The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-04-22

| WinuOW, Oenlnu Wnlc0 ne supposed
had been sleeping.
"Monsieur rises early" said he.
"Yes. am called away. You viii
be kind enough to pack my trunk and
send it after me-"
"Monsieur gives up the rooms 2"
"Unavoidably. 1t does not matter
they are paid for, all the same"
Surprise made him speechless for a
Moment The cat came slowly toward
me, purring. / stopped and stroked il
between the ears.
"He is called Chambord, monsieur
he lives upon raw meat, but he is very
kind and gentle. regret that mon.
sieur goes away"
"Thank you. Casimir, what strange
man was in the house last night p
"Monsieur, / do not understand.
| There was no one"
"You let no one out, then y
"Oh, that of course. The house has
many apartments, many dodgers. l do
not count them in my Sleep
Nevertheless" l said, with some
warmth, "there was a stranger in my
rooms last night. / saw him.
"Monsieur was dreaming 1t is i'm
possible"
"But can describe him to you
And | tried to do so, making only a
stammerlng failure of it.
Cassimir shrugged his shoulders.
Then remembered the curious mark
upon the mans check, and put in that
evidence, triumphantly.
The dull eyes opened little wider;
but he smiled and shook his head.
Sapristi Now know that mon
sieur was surely dreaming. That is
the Brazilian, Cornelio, the good pa
irons valet de chambre.'
wall, then, I tell you he has come
back"
"But, monsieur
81 swear it to you"
Impossible. Monsieur Morizot keeps
him always at his side. They are both
in Lapland."
l argued with him to no purpose.
He grew angry, and, in his excitement,
tipped over his watering pot upon
Chambord, who turned tail and disap.
peared. could convince him of
nothing but my own imbecility; and SO
left him, mutteriug strange oath-
among his flowers.
One rarely fails to recall startling
bit of his own experience, the first
time its date comes around again. So
it happened that this adventure was
upper-most in my mind one midsummer
night of the following year, on board
the good steamer Baron Osy, bound
from London to Antwerp. We had
left the white tower just at noon, and
had dropped lesurely down the over
burdened Thames, threading our eau
tious way through larger aud smaller
craft, in and out among tow boats and
barges, and awkward little luggers
with red sails and spankers, past the
big guns of Woolwich, and Greenwich
hospital with its white haired veterans
whose reckoning leaves off where ours
begins, by Tilbdry fort and Gravesend,
where the great river, broadened to All
estuary, stretches out its arms to meet
the Midway, and the two go wander
ing off here and there in tangle of
green hills that know no winter, but
are always green. 50 we had come
out into yellower and wider water; the
sun had set in banx of cool, gray
clouds; the white cliffs and glimmering
lights of Margate were already low on
the horizon, and the long twilight crept
down upon us slowly, imperceptiblv.
l had seen but few passengers, all OF
the heaviest and most uninteresting
modern Flemish pattern. But chance
remark of one of the stewards led Inc
to think that there were others of con.
sequence holding themselves aloof in
their cabins. One by one, those who
were about me on the after deck had
gone below as the night breeze
strengthened. / knew that the stars
were coming out, that under the pale
green streak of western sky the En-
| glish coast was fast receding. But
my thoughts were hundi eds of miles
away. With them l was really stroll.
ing through the passage des Princes
and back along the boulevard, hum
ming, as / walked, the doctors air in
'L'Ombre:"
Midi-minuit---
LIE jour-la mutt
Midi, c'est la vie,
Minuit, la mort-oui!
And so on through all the details Of
that troubled night lived again ir
NJ. Morizot's apartment; saw his
chair at the fire, his book upon the
table; nay, even the old letter-press
danced before my eyes.
"The prisoner Is sworn and asked
his name, age, rank and place OF
abode.
"He said that his name was Francoi,
Ravaillac, born and dwelling at Angou
| lome"-
The sound Of my voice brought M,
back to the deck of the Baron Osy
had spoken the words aloud.
turned and saw that they must hav,
been overheard by a passenger who
stood at the rail, not ten feet away
He wore a close fitting, pointed caI
and long, dark coat, buttoned tightly
under his chin, and these garments hat
a suggestive richness in them.
splendid jewel, too, shone upon hi
hand. But his eyes were fixed on m,
with a look in which fear and wonde
mingled strangely; his face seemed
white as death, and it was the face O
the valet, Cornelio.
realized an unknown power iu tn
words which ! had spoken; and with
out moving from my place, finishe'
the broken sentence from the trial o
Ravaillac, then repeated it word fo
word from the beginning. With that
the mark upon his cheek quivered cor
vulsively; he gave a wild cry, like som
brute brought to bay, and with one az
pealing look, as if toward imaginar,
puIsuers closing in upon him, he fiunl
himself over the rail into the sea.
| rushed to the ships side, as one @
the hands, who had seen him iumI
tore a life preserver from the guard,
and threw it after him. We caugh
| al oh Af IL